Looking White People in the Eye: Gender, Race, and Culture in Courtrooms and Classrooms

as outlined in razack's introduction, this book fills a much needed void in anti-oppression literature by analyzing power structures in the law and education fields. the arguments are compelling, the evidence thorough, and the tone uncompromising. depending on where you're at with your politics and capacity for self-reflection, this can either be a very exciting and inspiring book, or cause for defensiveness / guilt-ridden naval gazing. regardless of what you're response is, i'm confident you'll have one, because razack is taking on the roots of some of the most significant societal problems we face.

After seeing the two poor reviews given to this book, I had to add my two cents. This is an excellent book that covers a fairly wide range of topics related to discrimination and identities including gender-based persecution refugee hearings, problems with storytelling in multicultural settings and conceptions of disability. Razack writes from an anti-imperialist, antiracist and feminist standpoint, and her tone is challenging. I suspect that those two who gave this book bad reviews are uncomfortable with admitting that white, able-bodied men are privileged.

Razack's analysis has riveting implications for the social sciences and humanities. It is an influencial and critical work, ahead of its time, and has the potential to be broadly applied to many fields. Although, Razack mainly deconstructs the fields of law and education, "Looking White People in the Eye," is likely to cause ripples throughout academia.Questiong the very premise upon which we base our disciplines--such as rationale choice theory, liberalism and North American concepts of the individual--Razack calls into question issues as diverse as disability, immigration and progressive education. A varied and fascinating read, indeed.Not only is Razack's work on target, but, utilizing "narrative for social change," she is also accessible and practical. The chapters are easily divided into works that can be read alone--although, I recommend a quick skim through the first chapter for background.A fantastic read--I highly recommend it.PS--I don't hate men. I am white and straight and work for a large corporation. My fist is not in the air, right now.